A half-empty feeling

Early bright spots can't make up for incomplete effort

PHILADELPHIA — For a while it appeared as if the City of Brotherly Love was going to live up to its nickname.

The Dolphins looked like a bunch of Labrador puppies jumping up on each other after rookie Ted Ginn Jr. finally dashed off a punt return for a touchdown - and it wasn't called back by a silly penalty.

Resurrected second-year cornerback Jason Allen, starting at safety, was talking smack after his second of three Dolphins interceptions within their own 6-yard line in the first half.

And John Beck, the anointed Dolphins quarterback of the future, was displaying poise in the huddle during his much-anticipated NFL debut, while Philadelphia's veteran Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb was jeered by the fickle Lincoln Financial Field denizens as he limped into the locker room injured and trailing 7-3.

But 2007 reality soon caught up to a winless team that seems unable to put together 60 minutes of competent football. To compound the misery of losing their 13th game in a row, including the first 10 this season, the revenge of former Dolphins quarterbacks Part II continued as A.J. Feeley sparked a second-half rally to lift the Eagles to a 17-7 victory Sunday.

"The way I figure it, some kind of way you have to win a game where you have three turnovers, return a punt for a touchdown, knock the quarterback out of the game," Dolphins defensive tackle Keith Traylor said. "Something went wrong there, and I don't know what it was. That'll make you scratch your head, don't it?"

What might have made Dolphins fans scratch their heads was the fourth-quarter gamble by coach Cam Cameron, when he opted to go for it on fourth-and-goal from the Eagles' 1-yard line, trailing by 10 points with 6:45 remaining.

A poorly disguised pitchout to running back Jesse Chatman was snuffed out by blitzing defensive end Juqua Thomas for a 13-yard loss to sew up the Eagles' (5-5) first two-game winning streak of the season.

"We needed a touchdown and a field goal, and we felt like that was our best opportunity to get the touchdown," Cameron said. "Going into the wind, we felt as if that was the best thing to do."

Beck, the first Dolphins rookie quarterback to start since Dan Marino in 1983, struggled as the wet, blustery conditions worsened. He overthrew open receivers and converted just 2 of 11 in third-down situations. Beck connected on 9 of 22 passes for 109 yards, but to his credit he wasn't sacked and didn't commit a turnover.

"They had the Rocky music playing, and I know it was for Philly, but that right there got me fired up," Beck said. "There were times when there were a few plays that maybe I'd like to have back. ... The good thing was I did feel comfortable."

Feeley never felt comfortable in South Florida, and after a failed stint in 2004, was traded to San Diego for current Dolphins backup quarterback Cleo Lemon early in the 2005 season.

While Feeley didn't produce five touchdowns like former Dolphin Daunte Culpepper did in an early-season victory by the Raiders, he did connect on 11 of 13 passes in the second half and directed a 77-yard touchdown drive that concluded with a 4-yard strike to receiver Jason Avant.

The Dolphins enjoyed a plus-three turnover edge for the first time in seven years, but their porous run defense again betrayed them, allowing Eagles running back Brian Westbrook to gain 80 of his career-high 148 yards in the second half.

"It wasn't the only good first half we've had this year, and we haven't been able to finish a game," cornerback AndrM-i Goodman said. "At the end of the day, a bad team finds ways to lose games."

Harvey Fialkov can be reached at hfialkov@sun-sentinel.com

INFORMATIONAL BOX:

QUARTERBACK DEBUT

John Beck was the first rookie quarterback to start a game for the Dolphins since Dan Marino in 1983 and the sixth overall.